Meet Elie Mugabowishema from Rwanda, recipient of our travel bursary supported by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Healthy Ageing Challenge.
We are delighted Elie Mugabowishema has accepted our offer of our 2023 travel bursary, supported by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Healthy Ageing Challenge, to attend the Global Ageing Conference, 7-8 September 2023, Glasgow, Scotland.
Elie is the founder and president of NSINDAGIZA Organisation, an NGO which promotes the rights and welfare of older people. The organisation works in close collaboration with the National Commission for Human Rights, the Rwandan Senate, the Rwanda Elders Advisory Forum, other local civil society organisations, and international organisations.
NSINDAGIZA is accredited to the UN Open-Ended Working Group, Affiliated to HelpAge International, a member of Global Alliance for the Rights of Older Persons and the International Federation of the Associations of Older Persons.
In addition, he advocated for NSINDAGIZA to be an accepted member of the National Commission for Human Rights and Civil Society Organisation forum, including women and disability-based organisations, where all human rights are discussed and it is an opportunity for us to raise the voice advocating for the rights of older men and women.
Elie also co-founded the Rwanda ageing platform “URUMURI RW’IZABUKURU”, Rwanda Leave No One Behind Network, and Great Lakes Ageing Network.
As a strong advocate for older people, through various sector working groups including social protection and non-communicable diseases, Elie lobbied the Government of Rwanda to include older people in the Social Protection Policy, to sign and ratify the Protocol to the African charter on human and people’s rights on the rights of older people and to acknowledge the International Day of Older Persons (IDOP) as one of the days celebrated countrywide.
At CHOGM 2022 in Kigali, we supported Elie to organise on an impressive intergenerational side event; this was attended by 35 high level decision makers from the Government, National Human Rights Commission, Development partners and civil society organisation from both within and outside Rwanda.
Elie has had a varied career. He did A2 Nursing sciences, holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology and is currently working towards a Master’s degree in Project Planning and Management.
With over 20 years of project management experience working with humanitarian organisations behind him, Elie has made an impact in other care areas; previous positions include Households and Community Strengthening Manager at Global Communities in the USAID ‘Twiyubake’ program. This was an orphans and other vulnerable children (OVC) focused program, supporting the most vulnerable households to improve children’s lives. In this role, Elie was awarded the 2019 Diversity and Inclusion Award.
Elie also worked at Humanity and Inclusion as Project manager for Epilepsy, HIV/AIDS and protection projects respectively, and for Youth For Christ in Rwanda in the position of Deputy National Director.
“This background has exposed me to diverse mindsets and fuelled my passion to advocate for those most at risk of being left behind, giving birth to the idea of starting a local NGO to promote the rights and welfare of older people, not only in Rwanda but also beyond.
“This because I realised how they were discriminated in all settings. This opened the doors for me to participate in national, regional and international conferences and make presentations on various topics including disability inclusion, gender-based violence, HIV/AIDS and now on the rights of older people to ensure they are not left behind in the SDGs,” he says
Elie is member of Stakeholder Group on Ageing-Africa Steering Committee, and has authored two books:
- AKABANDO K’IMINSI:Itangiriro rihereza iherezo (Healthy ageing in Kinyarwanda language)
- UTAGANIRIYE NA SE NTAMENYA ICYO SEKURU YASIZE AVUZE (Positive parenting in Kinyarwanda).
Healthy Ageing
As team leader for the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing, Elie has implemented various health-related projects including: The COVID19 project in partnership with HelpAge, the Global Fight Against Ageism in partnership with GAROP, the Gender-based project founded by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office.
Elie conducts trainings and ADA health awareness-raising campaigns in partnership with HelpAge International and built good collaboration with the WHO, Ministry of Health advocating for the implementation of the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing. We are currently working with Helpage International on the Voice and Healthy longevity project and Universal Health Coverage project.
By partnering with us, the benefits of UKRI’s Healthy Ageing Challenge research and innovation can assist Eli in his work to develop and implement healthy ageing programmes in Rwanda.
UKRI’s Healthy Ageing Challenge aims to help people remain active, productive, independent and socially connected across generations for as long as possible. It does this by enabling businesses, including social enterprises, to develop and deliver beneficial products, services and business models.
In this video Elie explains how he is encouraging health ageing.
We are very much looking forward to meeting Elie at the conference, and learning more about care and ageing services in Rwanda.
Find out more about CommonAge’s activities, supported by UKRI at the Global Ageing Conference here.
UKRI’s Healthy Ageing Challenge is supporting our other activities at the Global Ageing Conference – find out about them here.
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